there's one way this ends
by mikezoey
Summary: It wasn't supposed to be this way. They were never meant to find out the truth. Oneshot based on this prompt:


It had been a month since Zoey, eighth in the house of Klossnia and next in line to the throne, had deserted the Alcinian Empire and run away with a motley crew of a fortune teller, a boy genius, and a prophesied chosen one. A month and a week since Mike had kissed her behind the birch tree in the palace garden and begged her to run away with him. Two months since the rebellion had attempted an assassination she had barely escaped, from which she had been saved by, ironically enough, the very man sent to kill her.

And it had been barely an hour since she and Mike had snuck into the temple and seen something they weren't supposed to. The prophecy of the dual soul, as it was called, was one they were both familiar with. It spoke of the fall of Alcinia's reign of terror across Falsae, their defeat at the hands of the boy with two minds in one soul. Zoey knew of it; for her, it had been a dark fairytale meant to scare her as a child. A warning, to behave and obey her parents, or else the Malevolent One would snatch her away and eat her alive.

Now that she had met Mal, she could confidently say that he had no plans to eat her alive. That didn't mean that he _liked_ her, though. Ever since she had met Mike, he seemed to front at the worst times possible, always ruining the moment with some smarmy comment or insult. But now... now she understood. Now she understood why he seemed intent on tearing her and Mike apart. Mal knew what Mike didn't.

But not anymore. They had found the scroll of prophecy in the backroom, and, curious, opened it. Zoey felt sick, thinking of the look on Mike's face as he read the last stanza.

_And hair as red as roses shall fall to thorns as black as night,_

_Blood will spill and cover hands personam duplicem,_

_So will end the empire when fade her eyes so bright,_

_Malevolence's manifestation, so it all will end._

His face had just... broken. And then, a twitch, and his eyes shifted, and she could tell that Mike wasn't there anymore. Wordlessly, Mal had put the scroll back where they found it, shot her a look that said _don't follow me_, and stormed away. Zoey was too shocked to try and chase after him, retrieving the scroll once more and rereading the prophecy with shaking hands.

Mal's destiny was to kill her, and somehow, it would lead to his death as well. Not Mike's, just Mal's. She wasn't sure how that was possible; they shared the same body. It must be referring to some death of the mind.

When she left the temple, it didn't take her long to find him. He was sitting on the edge of the fountain, picking leaves out of the water and tearing them to shreds. Zoey sat next to him, half surprised when he didn't get up and leave. That, at least, was a good sign.

"Why didn't you tell him?"

Mal scoffed. "You saw what happened. This is what I wanted to _avoid_, Red. I could've just killed you and gotten it over with when the time came, and loverboy wouldn't have seen it coming. He wouldn't try to stop me. Now... my job's just a whole lot fucking harder."

Zoey looked at him softly, thinking of all the times Mal had 'ruined' things between her and Mike. The picnic dates, the carriage rides, the sparring and the training, sitting next to each other in their little rooms late at night in silence breathing in unison. When Mike's breaths fell out of sync with her, that was how she knew Mal had taken the reins.

But she didn't resent him. Even now, knowing how their story was going to end. And somehow, she knew he didn't resent her either.

Somehow, she could see right through him like never before. And what she saw scared her, because... well. It wasn't something she was even willing to think to herself.

But she had to know.

"You're in love with me, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Mal didn't look up, laughing darkly under his breath.

"…That's a cruel question to ask."

"But are you?"

He finally met her eyes, pain on his face. It looked wrong on him, and all she wanted to do was reach out and hug him. Normally, she'd tell herself it was just because he shared the same face as Mike, but now she wasn't sure why. It was like she was seeing Mal for the first time.

"I can't be," he said, crumpling a leaf in his fist. "We're destined to kill each other. I wouldn't be able to bear it."

"I think you are."

"No. Maybe. Yes. No. I don't know." She giggled despite herself, and he gave her a glare. "Stop asking."

Zoey hesitated, before resting a hand on his shoulder. Finally, finally, she spoke the words she'd been afraid to say.

"Me too, just so you know."

Mal shrugged her off, standing and looking away.

"No, you're in love with Mike. I don't want your pity, Red."

She stood as well, staring him down defiantly until he turned to look at her, a short ripple of surprise running across his face at the ferocity with which she was looking at him. "It isn't. Pity." Zoey said, her fists clenching despite herself. "Don't blow me off, Mal. I'm being serious."

"Serious? Oh, sweetcheeks, you want to hear something serious?" He got closer to her, looming over her. "If you're not just confused, which you _are_, newsflash. You're in love with your fucking murderer-to-be. You've got issues."

"Stop twisting things!"

"What's there to twist? I kill you, then I die, and Mike gets to pick up the pieces. That's how it has to be. A prophecy is a prophecy."

He turned and began to walk away, pausing when he reached the garden's exit.

"Don't make this hurt more than has to, Zoey. Mike loves you."

"I know," she said quietly, fighting off the heat of tears in her eyes. "It's... it's just an old prophecy, that doesn't mean anything, it might not even-"

"I'm sorry." And somehow, she knew he meant it. "Don't lie to yourself, and don't you dare lie to me. There's one way this ends."

Mal left, and Zoey sat down on the edge of the fountain, her knees trembling. Tears dropped into the fountain's water as she lost control of herself, the shock finally setting in.

This wasn't a fairy tale, and there was no happy ending.


End file.
